Archive for August, 2009

Mexico, obama’s new residence for excuses

August 22, 2009

Last Sunday, the Mexican government fired 1,100 customs officials in a move to wipe out rampant corruption in the agency charged with securing the transport of goods and people across the U.S.-Mexican border. Army troops temporarily took control of the ports of entry (POE’s) along the 2,000-mile border.

Using more than 36,00 Mexican Army troops, President Felipe Calderon continues his war on the barbaric drug cartels that control and ravage much of Mexico. Last year, 5,600 people died at the hands of the cartels. The focus on the POE’s is not just the interdiction of human and drug smuggling but also of the flow of firearms into Mexico where they are tightly controlled. Calderon has complained frequently that guns from the United States provide the cartels with most of their firepower, though we have noted the dubious nature of this claim on more than one occasion.

During his visit to Mexico last week, Barack Obama praised Calderon’s efforts, but the Apologizer in Chief also readily blamed his own country for the violence. He pledged to dry up the flow of weapons into Mexico as well as to cut American demand for drugs. His strategy to stop the movement of guns includes reinstating (and, no doubt, enhancing) the 1994 ban on so-called “assault weapons” that expired in 2004. In addition, he promised an additional $1.6 billion for the Merida Initiative, a joint effort to fight against drug trafficking, money laundering and other crimes in Mexico and Central America.

But according to recent reports by the National Drug Intelligence Center, the Mexican cartels have been regulating “traffic” into and out of Mexico for some time, both at the POE’s and the virtually uncontrolled borderlands from San Ysidro, California to Brownsville, Texas. The problem always comes back to our wide-open border that four successive administrations have made little attempt to control. Calderon’s willingness to wage war on the cartels is truly admirable, but all things considered, it could end up as tilting at windmills.

SOURCE

The Shape of things to come?

August 22, 2009

Well, we warned you!

Let’s say one doesn’t agree with a White House policy. What does one do in the Information Age? Write a blog about it or post an opinion on a social network like FaceBook, or send an e-mail to friends, family and associates. By doing so, the writer creates a “paper trail,” albeit in the electrons of the Internet. Once a communication is in cyberspace, it usually has infinite shelf life, and, often, the anti-White House posting can be traced back to the author.

To expedite things, a White House functionary asked supporters (a.k.a. “snitches”), ala neighborhood watchers in Communist, fascist or other totalitarian regimes, to report “fishy” speech about ObamaCare to flag@whitehouse.gov. Such reports would contain some identification of the originator of the post, hence the fear of an “enemies list.”

Then a funny thing happened. All of a sudden, many Americans (including numerous Patriot readers) began getting unsolicited e-mail from the White House, some with the request that the e-mails be further circulated. Standardized unsolicited e-mail, sent in large quantities, is known as “spam.” Thus, the White House became one of the most reviled users of the Internet, a spammer, a Netiquette violator.

Due to public outrage, the informant e-mail address has been shut down, though now informers can use the White House’s “reality check” Web site. And the spamming was explained away and blamed on “outside organizations” submitting e-mail addresses to the White House. But the administration has demonstrated how Big Brother can use the Internet for dissident identification and for dissemination of propaganda. Is it, as H.G. Wells might have asked, “the shape of things to come”?

SOURCE

From the ‘Non Compos Mentis’ File

August 22, 2009

You can fool some of the people all the time…

From the ‘Non Compos Mentis’ File

The Leftmedia continue to portray town hall protestors as right-wing, gun-toting racist nutjobs, even when the shoe clearly doesn’t fit. As we noted last week, some “protestors” are carrying signs with Barack Obama sporting a Hitler mustache and the message “I’ve changed.” Of course, the media dutifully highlights the signs, while ignoring that they are distributed by and bear the Web site name of LaRouche PAC, the political action committee of seven-time Democrat presidential aspirant and committed socialist conspiracy nut Lyndon LaRouche. That doesn’t fit the template.

Protestors with guns are also a target. The Leftmedia frets that citizens can carry guns near some of these town halls, including outside one held by the president in Phoenix, Arizona. MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer commented, “A man at a pro-health care reform rally … wore a semiautomatic assault rifle on his shoulder and a pistol on his hip…. [T]here are questions about whether this has racial overtones. I mean, here you have a man of color in the presidency, and white people showing up with guns strapped to their waists or onto their legs.” What Brewer failed to mention is that the man carrying the rifle was black. In addition, the video shown on MSNBC was carefully cropped to avoid showing that the man was black — it only showed the man’s back and waist, not his face.

Of course, the anti-gun narrative is not new to MSNBC or Contessa Brewer, and neither is the racial double standard mentioned Thursday by Mark Alexander. Truth, unfortunately, is kicked to the curb.

Abortion Will Be Part of ObamaCare

It should come as no surprise that the health care overhaul being designed by congressional Democrats include provisions for federally mandated coverage of abortions by insurance providers. After all, liberals embrace what President Obama has called “reproductive justice,” which apparently includes killing unborn children. (The “justice” aspect has us scratching our heads.) Some members of Congress and the president himself on occasion have stated publicly that no such mandate exists, but they are lying.

The word abortion does not appear in the draft legislation, but several provisions would not only force insurance companies to cover abortions, they would override several state laws and would ultimately lead to taxpayer funded abortions. This is what groups like Planned Parenthood have worked for all along, but the secret is out now, thanks in part to some liberal members of Congress who brazenly admit their stance that taxpayers should pay for abortions, regardless of their moral stance on the issue. “Abortion will be covered as a benefit by one or more of the health care plans available to Americans,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), “and I think it should be.” Naturally, a broad cross-section of the public is opposed to this idea, but that’s never stopped liberals before.

SOURCE

obamacare: week in review, and a bit more

August 22, 2009

Cat out of the bag: “[W]e’ve got two problems here. ‘We’: I should say the administration or Democrats have two problems.” –Washington Post editorialist Jonathan Capehart letting slip the Leftmedia’s partnership with government

The meaning of cruel: “The cruelty inherent in scaring the elderly to score political points is beyond reprehensible…. [T]he sort of scurrilous campaign they are conducting — the seditious fear-mongering that is the main staple of their public diet — is a matter of profound disrespect and incivility toward the individuals whose rights they claim to cherish.” –Time magazine’s Joe Klein

Horrors!: “A man at a pro-health care reform rally … wore a semiautomatic assault rifle on his shoulder and a pistol on his hip…. [T]here are questions about whether this has racial overtones…. [W]hite people showing up with guns.” –MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer, fretting over ObamaCare protesters legally carrying guns, but neglecting to mention the man she described was black

Contract on America: “I was at a town hall yesterday, and I really had to take some people to task. They were using those buzzwords that I don’t think people realize all the time, like ‘real Americans’ or ‘give me back my America’ was one of the songs or ‘take back America.’ It was like, what do you mean by that?” –CNN’s Don Lemon

Spelling Left relief: “For the third time in five days, Barack Obama used the presidential bully pulpit on behalf of what he’s now calling health insurance reform. No more letting the angry opposition control the agenda.” –CBS’s Martha Teichner

Do not pass “Go”: “Let’s start by making sure people understand exactly what we’re talking about when we say this public option. This is a government-run insurance agency that would give people greater choice, some say break the monopoly held by the private insurers and, thus, drive down costs.” –NBC’s Matt Lauer (A monopoly is control by one company, not a whole list of companies.)

Defeat capitalism: “We talked to several health care experts today, and they all said if you take out the public option in terms of insurance, there’s going to be no restraints on the cost of insurance.” –ABC anchorhead Charles Gibson

Except for that thing called the Internet: “An intense period of corporate consolidation over the past 25 years, aided and abetted by deregulation by the Federal Communications Commission, has reduced to a mere handful the sources from which most Americans get their news.” –former CBS anchor Dan Rather, who must have entered a time warp back to 1974

Newspulper Headlines:

Our Fearless Independent Media:
“Obama Takes On Health Care Critics” –NPR.org
“Obama Takes On Health Care Reform Critics” –Voice of America Web site
“Obama Takes On Health Care Critics” –Associated Press
“Obama Takes On Health Care Critics” –USA Today
“Obama Takes On Critics at Town Hall Forum” –Chicago Tribune
“Obama Takes On Health Care Critics” –Slate.com
“Obama to Take On Health-Care Critics” –Washington Post

Famous Last Words: “End-of-Life Dialogue Stifled in Healthcare Reform Debate” –Miami Herald

Where’s the Death Panel When You Need It?: “Momentum Builds for Postal Service Relief” –NationalJournal.com

Look Out Below!: “White House Appears Ready to Drop ‘Public Option'” –Associated Press

Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control: “Jesse Jackson Named Prince of African Tribe” –Daily Telegraph

News You Can Use: “The Earth Is Warming? Adjust the Thermostat” –The New York Times

We Blame Global Warming: “2 Thrown Out of Heated Meeting on Health Care Reform” –WEWS-TV Web site (Cleveland)

Bottom Stories of the Day: “Democrats Plan Rally to Support Obama’s Health-Care Plan” –Jackson (MI) Citizen Patriot

(Thanks to The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto)

SOURCE

Mayor wises up to Bloomberg

August 22, 2009


Click here to vote in this week’s poll.

Since its creation, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) has signed up a large number of committed anti-gun politicians to its ranks. It has also signed up some politicians who failed to realize the true anti-gun nature of MAIG. A number of those mayors have resigned their membership when they learned the truth.

This past week, yet another mayor, Village of Walton Hills, Ohio Mayor Marlene Anielski (R), has resigned her membership. Mayor Anielski informed the Buckeye Firearms Association of her decision, reporting that she had not realized the real agenda of MAIG. In fact, she reported, she and her husband are NRA life members!

With the ongoing effort by MAIG to mislead the public and even its own members on its true agenda, it is no surprise that some mayors are choosing to leave the group. How many more mayors don’t know what MAIG is really all about?

All NRA members should ask: Is my mayor a member of MAIG? If you do not know, check the list here.

If your mayor is on the list, contact his or her office and politely let him or her know you are opposed to his or her membership in Mayor Bloomberg’s radical anti-gun organization.

YOUTH ARCHERY and SHOTGUN SHOOTING CLINIC IN EL PASO COUNTY

August 22, 2009

RAMAH, Colo. – Youngsters interested in the sports of archery and shotgun shooting are invited to attend a free one-day event at the Ramah State Wildlife Area Archery Range, Sat., Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Activities include a shotgun target & fun shoot, a laser gun computerized shooting station, a 3-D archery shoot, and instruction.

“This is a great opportunity for youngsters to learn about shooting sports and try their hand at using a bow and learning about firearms safety,” said Steve Lucero, an education coordinator with the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Instructors from the DOW and trained volunteers will help youngsters learn the finer points of shooting shotguns and bows.

The DOW will furnish the equipment.

The Ramah Archery Range is located four miles west of the town of Ramah at the Ramah State Wildlife Area along U.S. Hwy 24 in northeastern El Paso County.

All ages are welcome.  Boys and girls under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.  Activities will run continuously throughout the event.

For more information, call 719-227-5207.

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

NOVICE HUNTER INSTRUCTIONAL CLINICS

August 22, 2009

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Local wildlife conservation groups are teaming up with the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) to offer some exciting FREE clinics for beginning hunters. The seminars were developed following the success of a ‘Turkey Hunting 101’ seminar that was offered by the National Wild Turkey Federation this past spring.

The local committee of the Colorado Mule Deer Association will be hosting a free ‘Mule Deer Hunting 101’ clinic on Monday, Aug. 24 at the DOW Grand Junction Hunter Education Building at 711 Independent Ave. Class participants will be treated to a free barbecue beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the mule deer class beginning at 7 p.m. The clinic will cover a variety of topics including mule deer biology and habits, hunting strategies, equipment, and local deer hunting opportunities. The Colorado Mule Deer Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the mule deer and its habitat.

The local committee of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will be hosting a free ‘Elk Hunting 101’ clinic on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at the DOW Grand Junction Hunter Education Building at 711 Independent Ave. The clinic will begin at 6 p.m. and will cover topics including elk biology and habits, hunting strategies, equipment, and local elk hunting opportunities.  The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the Rocky Mountain elk and its habitat.

The local committee of Ducks Unlimited will be hosting a free ‘Waterfowl Hunting 101’ clinic on Friday, Sept. 25 at the DOW Grand Junction Hunter Education Building at 711 Independent Ave. The clinic will begin at 6 p.m. and will cover topics including waterfowl identification and biology, hunting strategies, equipment, and local waterfowl hunting opportunities. Ducks Unlimited is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of waterfowl and their habitat. The local Ducks Unlimited committee also offers a free youth waterfowl clinic and guided hunt in the Grand Valley.

All hunting clinics are limited to 40 participants and preregistration is required.  These hunting clinics are designed for novice hunters. For more information about the clinics and to register please call the DOW Education Office at (970) 255-6181.

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For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

2009 Firearms Law and The Second Amendment Symposium

August 21, 2009

The 2009 “Firearms Law & The Second Amendment Symposium” will be held on Saturday, September 12, at Northwestern University Law School, in Chicago, Illinois.  This event will be hosted by The NRA Foundation and the Northwestern University chapter of the Federalist Society.

Capitalizing on recent developments in our nation’s federal courts regarding the Second Amendment, panelists will discuss and debate current Second Amendment scholarship and related issues. Featured panelists at this year’s event will include scholars on the Second Amendment such as Professors Nelson Lund and Michael O’Shea, and other scholars including Clayton Cramer, David Kopel, and others.

This event promises to present a thought provoking discussion of one of the most relevant and important freedoms in the Bill of Rights.  Each Symposium registrant will receive a packet containing the panelists’ written materials on the subject- an excellent source for future reference.  For guests who are attorneys, this year’s event may once again meet state requirements for continuing legal education. The event, including all materials, food and beverages, is free.

The Symposium will be held:

Saturday, September 12, 2009
Northwestern University School of Law
Thorne Auditorium
375 E. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
(Registration and continental breakfast from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.)

To register, please visit http://www.nraila.org/workshops/Symposium.aspx?ID=09chicago or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683. And please be sure to invite your fellow law students and legal colleagues!

Taking guns to protests; Did it help or hinder gun rights?

August 21, 2009

Recently people have been taking weapons to Town hall meetings and impostor in chief appearances. A lot of things have been said about this. Mostly by hopolophobic politicians. The Christian Science Monitor has an article out dealing with this, and they missed at least one rather serious point. As have most reports.

The guys with no necks from Unions have been roughing people up, and otherwise intimidating peaceful protesters, as well as a few that were vocal about their concerns. Have the thugs been active at all when law abiding people, that don’t upset the Secret Service, still there bullying anyone?

Have the anti freedom types that believe that the First Amendment is sacrosanct, just so long as you agree with them, been out there challenging or twisting any arms when an armed lawful citizen is present?

Read the once believable Christian Science Monitor story HERE.

Contrast that puff piece with this.

Impostor in chief hits record low

August 21, 2009

The impostor in chief has hit a new low according to Zogby. It’s no wonder. I mean really? Your chief lieutenants are running around calling those that are being Laird over everything but Patriots what can you expect? Figure it out Mister President. The people are onto you, and your regimes plans to destroy America.

Read on…

President Barack Obama’s popularity has plummeted to a record low, with just 45 percent of voters now approving of his performance, according to the latest Zogby International poll.

Asked whether they approve or disapprove of the president’s job performance, just 45.3 percent of likely voters say they approve. That compares with 50.5 percent who disapprove of the job Obama is doing.

The results are a strong indication that contentious national debate over healthcare reform has taken a major toll on the president’s popularity.

Those numbers also indicate that Obama clearly is in serious political trouble, Fox News analyst and best-selling author Dick Morris tells Newsmax.

“As soon as Obama dropped below 52 percent . . . he was leaking real voters who had backed him in November,” Morris tells Newsmax. “Now that he is down to 45 percent among likely voters . . . he is in deep political trouble.”

Of greatest concern to Obama may well be his decline among all-important independent voters. Just 37.5 percent of self-identified independents say they approve of how Obama is handling the presidency. That compares with 59.2 percent of independents who disapprove.

“There is nothing counterintuitive in any of these numbers,” pollster John Zogby of Zogby International tells Newsmax. “The president is clearly taken a slide — most especially with independent voters, who play such an important role in any legislation or policy support.

“Interestingly, the president had been making some inroads with groups like investors, and frequent Walmart shoppers . . . both typically conservative,” Zogby says. “However, he has slipped considerably with them in this poll.”

Zogby adds: “The healthcare plan appears to be consolidating conservative opposition and scaring independent voters.”

Pundits pay especially close attention to trends involving swing voters.

Continued evidence of declining popularity there will ratchet up the pressure on congressional blue dogs and other conservative Democrats to go their own way on controversial proposals such as public-option healthcare and energy cap-and-trade, knowing they can’t rely on presidential coattails to prop them up with voters.

FULL STORY